The declaration of faith
is what is needed to enter into Islam. It consists of two parts.
The first is:
“I testify
there is no god but Allah.”
Allah (pronounced: Allaah) is the Arabic word for God. It is the
same word used by Jewish and Christian Arabs to refer to God. The
most literal meaning of the declaration is not the intended one,
as there are many things human beings worship instead of the One
God. The true meaning is: “I testify there is none worthy of
worship but Allah.” This statement combines negation and affirmation.
It denies the right of anything in creation to be worshipped, and
it affirms that right for the Creator. The concept of worship is
probably more comprehensive in Islam than in any other religion.
It includes devotional rituals, but it also includes all transactions
between individuals and groups. It also includes emotional states
and actions of the heart, such as love, hate, hope, fear, etc. In
fact, every action that pleases God is considered an act of worship
in Islam.
The second part of the
declaration of faith is:
“I testify
that Muhammad is the [final] Messenger of God.”
Without it, implementing
the first part of the declaration of faith becomes very difficult.
The Quran says, “You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah
a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah
and the Final Day and who remembers Allah profusely.
”1 Following the
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has been made a litmus test for the love
of God: “Say: ‘If you do love Allah, follow me: Allah
will love you and forgive you your sins; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.’
”2 Accepting the
rules revealed by God through Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has also been
made a test of true faith; “But no, by your Lord, they can
have no (real) Faith, until they make you judge in all disputes
between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your
decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction.
”3 Merits of the
Declaration of Faith Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said, “Whoever
bears witness that none is worthy of worship but Allah, and that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, and that Jesus is the slave
of Allah and the son of a woman who was His slave, and His word
that He cast into Mary, and a soul from Him, and that Paradise is
real and that Hell is real, Allah will enter him into Paradise by
any of its eight doors he wishes [according to his actions].
”4 On one occasion
the Prophet (pbuh) was sitting in a garden. He told one of his Companions,
“Take these sandals of mine. When you meet anyone outside this
garden who testifies that there is no god but Allah, being sure
of it in his heart, give him glad tidings of Paradise.
”5 On another occasion
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said, “Allah has prohibited from
the Fire of Hell anyone who says, ‘There is none worthy of
worship except Allah,’ seeking thereby the pleasure of Allah.
”6 The Necessity of Declaring One’s Faith These and other
statements of the Prophet (pbuh) have led scholars to conclude that
a person who believes that this declaration is true must declare
it in front of witnesses to become a Muslim. Knowledge and acceptance
in the heart are conditions for the validity of the declaration,
but knowledge and acceptance without the declaration would not save
a person from Hell if there were no threat of physical harm to prevent
him from declaring it.
If a person would be endangered by making his or her faith known,
he/she has the option of keeping it a secret. One of the Companions
of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was tortured and forced to denounce Muhammad
and praise the gods of the idol worshippers upon pain of death.
When he was released, he came to the Prophet crying. When he had
explained to him what had happened, the Prophet asked him, “How
did you find your heart while you were saying those things?”
He replied that his heart was content with Islam and that he hated
what he was forced to say. The Prophet instructed him that if he
were placed in the same situation again that he should again say
what his tormenters demanded of him to save himself. It was about
him that the following verse of Qur’an was revealed:
“Anyone who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters disbelief
- except one who does so under compulsion, his heart remaining firm
in Faith - but those who open their hearts to disbelief, the wrath
of Allah is on them, and they will have a dreadful penalty.
”7 One of the prominent
reasons that Islam requires a person to declare his/her faith is
that a new convert needs the support and help of the community to
help his faith grow and stabilize. When a person is a very new Muslim,
his/her friends and family are likely to be displeased with the
change. They will raise questions and doubts about Islam in the
mind of the new convert to try to shake his/her faith. They may
even try to draw the convert into behavior condemned by Islam just
so that his faith will weaken through sinning. Everyone also has
a personal devil to raise doubts and temptations. If the Muslim
community knows that the person is a new Muslim, they have a responsibility
to make him/her feel welcome and to help him/her through some of
the problems of transition.
Another implication of the declaration of faith is that a believer
should have an open personality without hidden agendas. People should
know who you are and what you stand for. Life is a struggle between
good and evil. The struggle goes on in each person’s heart,
but it also goes on between people who align themselves with good,
more or less, and people who align themselves with evil, more or
less. Each of us needs to try to identify the truth, struggle to
live by it and help others to find it and live by it. This doesn’t
mean that you shove your beliefs down other’s throats, but
one has a responsibility to share beneficial knowledge with those
who don’t know.
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